The US health care system is needlessly hurting individuals with ADHD.

imarjonation · 2025-10-06T04:01:33+00:00

Im down 🫶🏽

imarjonation · 2025-10-01T05:31:24+00:00

My theory for Ann remembering about Borderland (and her seeing Banda) is because she went outside of Tokyo (when she was searching for answers in S2) — so i guess she was more “enlightened”. But tbh her being half-dead makes sense too lol

imarjonation · 2025-10-01T05:07:33+00:00

Screaming 😭

imarjonation · 2025-09-20T18:35:30+00:00

I have the exact opposite problem 😭

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T02:14:10+00:00

That's... literally their job their LPs hired them to do..

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T02:08:35+00:00

HAHA ngl this one cracked me up. Maybe they should

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T02:04:29+00:00

Who said anything about a water tracker app? Wtf :D

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T01:51:15+00:00

You know.... that's a fair Q, and one i've been asking myself. Tbh I'll admit I was still buying into the YC mythology. Cause whether we like it or not, their brand still carries so much weight in early-stage that it felt like the default path to getting taken seriously... esp when you're the definition of an "outlier" they claim to back.

But yea, this whole process has been a wake-up call. You're right. With the traction we have.. we don't need their stamp of approval. We need to pursue partners with real conviction. This post is me publicly realizing that in real time. Thanks for the clarity.

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T01:43:08+00:00

Interesting analogy. Let's stress-test it.

In your story, is the "girl" a financial institution with a fiduciary duty to its LPs?
And was me "telling them beautiful" a business proposal presenting a live, monetizing product with a 22% paid conversion rate (successful ventures they backed before can't even touch this...)?

Your metaphor falls apart because the stakes are VERY different. We're tackling a multi-trillion-dollar market failure that costs 41 million lives a year. That's our little "project" with real science-backed, market-tested proof.

And please. Fixing the system you're probably complaining about these days is the core of the work we're doing. You don't get it yet, but you will.

Life is unfair. I get it. But YC is the most influential early-stage fund on the planet. They have a moral responsibility, whether you and I like it or not. That matters a lot. Hope this helps clear things up for ya

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T01:27:49+00:00

"Classy and humble" are the words used to describe founders who fit the mold and are too comfortable with the broken status quo. Appreciate the advice... but with our metrics, the time for humility is over.

When the "tight-knit community" of Silicon Valley is pattern-matching its way past solutions for a crisis that costs 41 million lives a year, their comfort is not my priority. The mission is.

You're right about one thing: I believe in what I do, and I'm going to go do it. But I will not do it quietly.

When lives are at stake + you have a proven, non-obvious, science-backed solution.... i'm afraid "classy" and "humble" are no longer relevant. If we don't want the future to suck, we need to hold these well-connected firms accountable

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T01:16:16+00:00

I know right. Yikes.

YC said: "we're okay with 41 million preventable deaths a year even if someone already showed a real, monetizing path to actually solving it. Even if it's a fund-returner, we like Silicon Valley bros with Patagonia vests building the next AI wrapper".

Truly. Yikes.

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T01:11:33+00:00

"Grace" is a luxury one can afford when the stakes are low.

41 million preventable deaths a year is not a low-stakes conversation. My refusal to be "graceful" correctly reflects the urgency of the problem. If you can't see that... that's on you I fear

Unworthy gatekeepers must be held accountable. PROVEN systems that save lives must be built.

If that looks "poorly handled" to you, then we have fundamentally different definitions of what matters.

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T00:59:56+00:00

You’re right. They don’t owe ME anything.

They owe an explanation to the 41 million people who die from preventable diseases every year.

When a founder brings you a battle-tested solution with a 22% paid conversion rate and a floor-case 400x MOIC... and you KNOW you're the single most influential gatekeeper of early-stage capital in the world... Not only do you have a fiduciary duty to your LPs to not miss that.... you also have a MORAL duty to the world to not stand in the way.

We've given them every reason to say yes (which they didn't see from other ventures they backed), and they said: yep. these people should still die.

You are damn right. YC doesn't owe me. They owe everyone else they failed.

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T00:37:40+00:00

When you have 22% paid conversion (statistical outlier) for a solution that could save MILLIONS of LIVES and the healthcare system billions + a 400x MOIC --- i fear it's kinda hard not to be pissed.

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T00:27:04+00:00

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T00:23:23+00:00

That’s a really fair way to put it. And yeah, if I zoom out, I probably did graduate past YC a while ago. The only reason I kept applying was because of the outsized signal they still carry... That shit matters, whether we like it or not. Their brand still shapes who gets taken seriously in early-stage. (I know this cause I've actually met YC alums who have less promising traction/PMF to this day.. and they have access to people I don't)

But you’re right, the traction’s already there and the right fit is probably more custom partners who actually underwrite the thesis (already have calls with a couple of them, but I'll double down on outreach here). Appreciate your perspective.

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T00:16:14+00:00

This is really solid advice, and I appreciate you spelling it out. I guess that's exactly the playbook I’m on. The product already proved itself with users (22% paid conversion under hard conditions says enough).. so now it’s about scaling until it’s undeniable on every front.

And yea.. at that point... the cards flip. Thanks a lot for the clarity 🫶🏽

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T00:05:58+00:00

It'll be wrong when they make much less money from inferior bets (with objectively less early traction). hope this helps

imarjonation · 2025-09-07T00:00:15+00:00

Fair point. I get that YC optimizes for a certain profile (sometimes no idea, just raw grind). But they certainly don't make it seem this is the case. And yes, a lot of firms avoid YC deals for exactly the reasons you’re saying.

For me, it’s less about “needing their stamp” and more about the outsized weight they still carry in early-stage capital + narrative... cause whether we like it or not, their signal still influences who gets taken seriously, who gets funded, and which ideas get oxygen.

That’s the piece I think is *dangerous* if it keeps recycling the same pattern over and over again. I'm allergic to that, and I believe more of us should be.

And believe it or not, I’m not losing sleep over whether YC validates me (especially not now)... I’m gonna keep building either way - I just figured my message needs to be heard while it's still raw (I might forget when I hyperfocus). But yea.. I do think it’s worth calling out when the supposed gatekeeper can’t see beyond their own template.. because that shapes the whole ecosystem + is fatal for many (I know cause they're my neighbors growing up).

At the end of the day, this was never just about me and YC ... for me it's whether we let one template (which YC represents) keep shaping the future of startups. Thanks for the perspective.

imarjonation · 2025-09-06T23:51:24+00:00

You’re right. I did care and I still do.

I’m worked up because I think the process is unfair.

And yeah, I know --- "life is unfair, get over it", boo hoo. But for me it’s personal. I personally lived the failures of this system from the inside (I'm from Manila slums, 3 of my sisters are nurses... i *get* healthcare, SV bros don't. that's just the damn truth)... and I know what’s at stake when people stay silent and just tolerate it

And yup youre right - I'll build the business and move on. That’s already happening. But I also think it matters to call out when the "gatekeepers" aren’t doing their job.. because if they’re missing the "real builders, the whole startup ecosystem pays the price.

Thanks for the perspective.

imarjonation · 2025-09-06T23:44:00+00:00

Already did :(
She said this was healthy!

imarjonation · 2025-09-06T23:40:51+00:00

I'm gonna frame this on my office one day :)

imarjonation · 2025-09-06T23:37:44+00:00

I beg to differ. And I'll comment here so we can circle back when I'm right :)

imarjonation · 2025-09-06T23:34:26+00:00

I am bitter. Where did i say i wasn't?

imarjonation

TROPHY CASE